The present invention relates to a tailgate for a truck and more particularly to a truck having an open-assist bumper employed with the tailgate.
For some trucks, and especially for pickup trucks, a remote tailgate release may be available to assist in opening the tailgate to facilitate loading/unloading of cargo. A remote tailgate release may be activated by a key fob. When a tailgate release button is pressed on the fob, the tailgate latch is released, with the tailgate pressed against a solid rubber-like bumper. Preferably, upon this remote release, the tailgate pivots slightly from its fully closed position, whereupon the weight of the tailgate itself is sufficient to complete the opening of the tailgate. A damper system may be employed to allow the tailgate to slowly pivot to the open position in a controlled manner.
However, when the truck is parked on a slope with the front lower than the rear the tailgate may not move to the desired position upon remote release. Additionally, when the bed is covered with a cover such as a Tonneau cover, a seal at the rear of the cover may press down on the top of the tailgate, again possibly preventing the tailgate from moving to the desired position upon remote release. Moreover, corrosion, debris accumulation and grease dry-out of the lubricated tailgate components over time may eventually inhibit the completion of the remote opening process. And, a conventional rubber-like bumper may have material wear over time where the compression eventually is insufficient to move the tailgate as desired after latch release.
Consequently, if the tailgate is remotely unlatched using a key fob but does not complete the opening process due to factors such as hill parking, a Tonneau cover or time degradation factors, the vehicle operator may not notice that the tailgate is unlatched. This may be an undesirable condition where the tailgate may then unexpectedly open at a later time.